Chapter 13: Rocket Launch

Time passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye, two years had gone by. Over these two years, Xiao Yu’s robotic workforce had grown to over 10,000 units. The number of steelmaking blast furnaces had increased to ten, accompanied by casting plants, precision machining factories, and other facilities.

Naturally, all of these factories were constructed within the base. Despite the base spanning one square kilometer, it was still in the early stages of development. Xiao Yu prioritized the construction of key factories first.

During these two years, the Shangdu Region of Titan had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Xiao Yu’s industrial zone now stretched across several square kilometers. The area was a hive of activity, brightly illuminated and filled with towering blast furnaces. Countless robots of various models busily moved back and forth, tirelessly working to sustain the industrial operations.

Xiao Yu himself was the brain behind this vast industrial complex. Over 10,000 robots and tens of millions of sensors embedded in various equipment continuously transmitted data back to him. Every piece of information was flawlessly received and processed by Xiao Yu without a single error. The moment data arrived, Xiao Yu instantly calculated and issued the next set of instructions. In this way, Xiao Yu effectively managed millions of simultaneous tasks with unparalleled accuracy.

This was the power of integrating human intelligence with electronic systems.

“Sensor B-13 reports overheating? Alright, issue a command to Controller 65 to enhance the cooling system’s operation.”

“Sensor D-3050 is no longer transmitting data… Damn, it’s broken again. Robot 970, take spare parts and replace it immediately.”

A constant, chaotic torrent of massive information flowed into Xiao Yu’s mind. With his computational systems running at full capacity, Xiao Yu organized and handled every task with impeccable precision.

However, as the computational usage soared to 95%, Xiao Yu sighed in frustration. “The central computer’s computational power, while far exceeding Earth’s comparable systems, is still not enough… I need to prioritize the development of a new computer system.”

Xiao Yu could not allow his computational resources to reach 100% utilization. Such a state would mean the system was operating at full capacity, which could result in delays or unprocessed data, potentially leading to catastrophic consequences.

Additionally, it was essential to reserve some computational power for handling unexpected emergencies.

“I’ll reduce production rates by 10% and temporarily halt the construction of new equipment. This adjustment should free up approximately 11% of the computational capacity. I’ll allocate all of it to developing a new computer system,” Xiao Yu decided after careful consideration.

Beyond the limitations of computational power, Xiao Yu had identified another growing issue.

With the expansion of factory types and the increasing demands of production, Xiao Yu realized that his current iron mine was no longer sufficient to meet his needs.

This wasn’t due to a lack of reserves. In fact, the iron mine had enough resources to sustain mining operations for another thousand years. The real issue lay in the limited variety of elements available at the site.

The mine’s largest reserves were undoubtedly iron, followed by copper, aluminum, and gold. However, essential industrial materials, such as rare earth elements—particularly lanthanides—were in short supply. While this scarcity had minimal impact during the early stages of development, it was now becoming one of the two biggest constraints on Xiao Yu’s progress, alongside computational limitations.

Xiao Yu made up his mind: “If developing the new computer system can’t be resolved in the short term, I’ll address this problem first.”

He reviewed all the data he had collected on helicopter construction, incorporated the technological advancements he had achieved during his time on Titan, and tailored the design to Titan’s unique environment. After a month of work, Xiao Yu finally completed the design of his first helicopter.

Building this helicopter occupied another two months.

Standing in the factory, completely black and shaped like an inverted bowl, was Xiao Yu’s creation—the Fengshen-1 helicopter.

This helicopter was nothing like the ones found on Earth. In fact, it resembled a flying saucer more than a traditional helicopter. This unique design stemmed from Xiao Yu’s technological breakthroughs, which eliminated the need for rotors to generate lift. Additionally, the semi-spherical shape maximized interior space while minimizing material usage.

After completing the final round of testing, Xiao Yu was filled with excitement. “Alright, let’s take off, Fengshen-1!”

The Fengshen-1 emitted pale blue flames from several jet ports on its underside. With the immense thrust generated, the helicopter—several hundred tons in weight—slowly lifted off. It ascended steadily and eventually flew out through the factory’s open roof.

Xiao Yu issued a command, and a lateral jet port on Fengshen-1 fired a burst of flame, propelling the helicopter forward. In an instant, it disappeared into the distance.

Equipped with state-of-the-art mineral detection equipment, Fengshen-1’s mission was to locate new mineral deposits for Xiao Yu.

The helicopter could reach a top speed of Mach 3 and was far more agile than any aircraft on Earth. It could hover in midair, perform vertical takeoffs and landings, and fly at extremely low altitudes at high speeds—capabilities that were unattainable for its Earth-bound counterparts.

As Fengshen-1 transmitted data back, Xiao Yu began analyzing the findings.

“Hmm, there’s an aluminum deposit 80 kilometers away, but the reserves are too low and buried too deep—no mining value. Discard it…”

“Oh, a tungsten deposit? The location is decent, but the reserves are somewhat limited. Alright, I’ll send some robots to conduct an on-site survey later.”

Xiao Yu maneuvered Fengshen-1 at an altitude of approximately 300 meters, spiraling outward from his base as the center. The exploration radius expanded progressively.

When the radius reached 500 kilometers, Xiao Yu had to halt further exploration. This distance marked the effective limit of communication. Beyond this point, Fengshen-1 would dip below the horizon due to Titan’s curvature. Once that happened, Titan itself would block the signal, and Xiao Yu would lose control of the helicopter, which would inevitably crash.

Moreover, Xiao Yu could not transfer his consciousness to Fengshen-1’s onboard computer as a workaround. The helicopter’s computational power was far too limited to handle the vast amounts of data generated by the growing base. Attempting such a transfer would lead to immediate system failure—and Xiao Yu’s death.

Frustrated, Xiao Yu let out a groan. “Damn it, does this mean I have to build a satellite just for this lousy helicopter? No, not just one—based on Titan’s mass and size, I’ll need at least twelve satellites to achieve seamless signal coverage. Twelve satellites!”

The thought of the workload made Xiao Yu’s head ache. Constructing these satellites would mean postponing his plans to develop a new computer system yet again. Furthermore, these satellites couldn’t simply serve navigation and communication purposes. Xiao Yu would inevitably want to add features like Saturn observation, monitoring Saturn’s other moons, and solar observation. This would further increase the computational demands.

“Fine, fine,” Xiao Yu grumbled, resigning himself to the inevitable. “If I have to do it, I might as well do it right and solve the problem once and for all.”

With this decision, Xiao Yu reluctantly postponed his computer research again, reduced the base construction rate by another 10%, and diverted all resources to building satellites and rockets.

This time, Xiao Yu aimed for something ambitious. On Earth, technologically advanced nations often employed multi-satellite launches, deploying two or more satellites with a single rocket—known as the “multiple satellite deployment” technique. This sophisticated method was beyond the reach of most countries.

But Xiao Yu planned to take it to the next level: a single rocket to launch twelve satellites.

Yes, twelve satellites with a single launch.

This approach was necessary to conserve resources. Rockets were massive, single-use constructs. Launching twelve individual rockets would deplete Xiao Yu’s metal production capacity—particularly for rare metals—pushing his industrial operations into severe deficit. A single launch would consume more resources per rocket but would save significant amounts overall.

However, a twelve-satellite launch presented a significant challenge for Xiao Yu, as he had never attempted such a feat before.

Were it not for Titan’s lower gravity, reduced orbital altitude, and lower velocity requirements compared to Earth, Xiao Yu wouldn’t have dared attempt this ambitious plan.

After two months of grueling effort, Xiao Yu finally completed the rocket and satellites.

In the enormous factory, a 10-meter-tall rocket stood upright. Compared to Earth’s rockets, which often exceeded 40 or 50 meters in height, this one was a miniature.

Earth’s rockets required multiple stages—typically three—to generate sufficient thrust to place satellites into orbit hundreds of kilometers above the surface. Xiao Yu’s rocket, on the other hand, only required a single stage due to Titan’s reduced gravity and orbital height requirements.

In fact, had it not been for the need to carry twelve satellites, Xiao Yu could have reduced the rocket’s height to just seven meters.